Ever since its founding in 1969, Cracker Barrel has been known as one of the pillars of American breakfast.
If you want a good breakfast, you know it’s a solid place to go. Think like Red Lobster for seafood and Outback Steakhouse for steak.
But let’s face it – times are changing rapidly, and Cracker Barrel has had a bad run more recently.
I’ve heard plenty of stories of bad service and lukewarm food…
And more importantly –
They’ve made it tougher for fans by getting rid of a lot of their traditional favorites.
Plus, let’s face it:
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There are some pretty impressive up-and-comers that are moving in on the breakfast market.
I’m not talking about the other incumbents – Denny’s, IHOP, Waffle House – although to be clear, that’s not meant as a criticism of them.
But for this piece, I’m really focused on unknown and underfollowed breakfast chains that are starting to get some real traction.
Because these folks are smaller and newer than Cracker Barrel, many of them may be unknown to you…
At least for now.
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But each of these up-and-comers is expanding rapidly, and given what they bring to the table, I can see why.
They’ve got great food, unique flavors, and great service.
So watch out Cracker Barrel, these folks are coming for you!
Starting with…
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Year founded: 1979
Where you’ll find them: Broken Yolk has been a Southern California staple ever since its founding, but recently hit the gas and has expanded to 40 locations across five states – California, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and Idaho.
All about the breakfast: Obviously you’ve got lots of choices with eggs. But they’ve gone way past your traditional “two eggs and bacon” (although you can get that too). My two favorite dishes? Chicken-fried steak and eggs (yum) and the monte cristo, which is a ham and cheese sandwich with french toast for bread.
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Year founded: 2012(!)
Where you’ll find them: Urban Egg is a very new entrant, but they’re growing rapidly – with 10 locations in Colorado and Kansas, and room for plenty more.
All about the breakfast: Try any of their eggs benedict options – the chicken & waffle eggs benedict is absolutely fantastic. Oh, and their cinnamon roll is great (the bacon jam is a nice twist).
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Year founded: 2000
Where you’ll find them: Tupelo Honey Cafe got their start in Asheville, where they operated two locations for a long time. But in the last few years they’ve expanded to 15 states – with usually just one or two locations in a state. Think of them as beachheads for further expansion. If you haven’t seen or heard of Tupelo Honey Cafe before now, don’t worry – I’m confident you will soon!
All about the breakfast: Southern comfort food, usually with a twist. Try the mountain morning bowl to see what I mean – sure, it’s an egg bowl with grits, but the grits have goat cheese in them, the potatoes have rosemary and parmesan, and your protein is apple cider bacon. Or you can just go all-out and get the banana pudding creme brulee chicken and waffles.
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Year founded: 1983 in Dallas, Texas.
Where you’ll find them: From their Texan home, La Madeleine has rapidly expanded to nine states, ranging all the way east to Virginia and as far north as North Dakota. (Which, let’s face it – if they can succeed in North Dakota given its sparse population – there’s a LOT of opportunity elsewhere!)
All about the breakfast: It’s breakfast done like the French. You won’t find a lot of really big meals – that’s not the French way – but there are a ton of delicious dishes. My personal favorite? The Croque Madame, a ham and cheese sandwich with a garlic cream sauce topped with a fried egg.
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Year founded: 2006
Where you’ll find them: Keke’s got its start in Florida but has rapidly expanded to over 70 locations throughout the southern half of America – Texas, Nevada, Tennessee, California, and Colorado – with Georgia (and several more Texas locations) on the way.
All about the breakfast: The picture above (taken at a Keke’s in Jacksonville) tells you everything you need to know, right? Actually, my favorite dish is their turtle flavor stuffed french toast – pecan’s, caramel, chocolate, fudge, yes please!
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Year founded: 1983 in Pacific Grove, California.
Where you’ll find them: Although First Watch was founded in California, headquarters these days is in Florida. First Watch has absolutely exploded – it’s now over 500 locations in 29 states, and still growing fast.
All about the breakfast: Their carne asada hash hearkens back to their California roots, and their million-dollar bacon is very much worth the name. Try the parma hash if you’re looking for something extra filling.
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Year founded: 2006 in Denver, Colorado
Where you’ll find them: Snooze has grown rapidly since its founding less than 20 years ago – it now has dozens of locations spanning Colorado, California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina.
All about the breakfast: The habanero pork belly breakfast fried rice is unlike anything I’ve ever had before for breakfast. Or if you’re looking for something simpler, try their signature pancake flight – one each of their cinnamon roll, pineapple(!), and strawberry shortcake pancakes.
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So there you have it – seven upstarts that are in expansion mode and rapidly coming after Cracker Barrel’s core “breakfast” market.
Will they succeed?
Well, the fact that Cracker Barrel is shuttering locations may be a clue that they (or perhaps market stalwarts like Denny’s and IHOP) are in fact succeeding.
So here’s my big question:
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What great breakfast chains have YOU found that I should go try out?
Let us know in the comments!
If I can make the trip (and like what I eat), I’ll add them to this article.
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